Photo: Munro
It's very easy to get lost in the multitude of carmaking startups that have surfaced all over the place. As if EVs are here not only to help us cut back on the harm we're doing, but have also made carmaking easier (they have, but that's a topic for another time), we're literally flooded with new names coming into the spotlight. Even from a place as fascinating and exotic from the industry's point of view as Scotland.
It's there where a crew called Munro Vehicles is based. Established in 2021, the shop has had from the get-go a very specific mission in mind: create electric vehicles that can be used in heavy-duty sectors and industries.
What does that mean? Well, think of things like mining, quarrying, farming, and, to some extent, search and rescue. All of these are fields of human activity that require some very specialized equipment, built in a certain way and capable of doing certain things.
Munro believes it has the perfect solution for that. It's called MK_1, an electric machine that has been described as a true Land Rover Defender rival, both on account of what it can do, and also because, well, it kind of looks like one.
Made from the ground up by the Scots, the MK_1 came to light back in 2022 as something called Truck – a high-riding metal beast, wrapped in a paint job that can withstand pretty much everything thrown at it, and with a top range in its best configuration (there are three versions in all) of 275 km/190 miles.
This week, taking advantage of the Fully Charged Live North 2023 event taking place in Harrogate, England, Munro pulled the wraps off a new MK_1 variant called Pick-Up. The name is self-explanatory, really, as we're dealing with the same kind of beast, only with a chopped rear to make room for a bed.
I said earlier the Truck comes in three variants, and those are Utility, Range, and Performance. The Pick-Up shown this week is of the Performance variety, which would mean the top of the range in Munro speak.
For the rest of us, Performance translates into an electric drivetrain comprising an 82.4kWh battery feeding electricity to electric motors that spin all four wheels. At full throttle, if you'll allow that expression, the system develops 375 hp and 700 Nm of torque. Backed by those numbers, the Pick-Up can sprint from nil to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, and can keep going for as much as 190 miles.
I said this vehicle was born to serve the needs of those leading a hardcore kind of life. Translating that into numbers, we're talking about enough space in the bed out back to fit a 1,050 kg (2,315 pounds) euro pallet, and enough pull to tow up to 3,500 kg (7,700 pounds) of cargo behind it.
Although the arrival of the Munro MK_1 Pick-Up came a bit as a surprise to us, a lot of people, including some working for FTSE 100 companies, seem to have known about it. They must have, because today, despite the vehicle being shown for the first time, we're told there are already 200 orders placed for it, including from such high-profile companies.
And since I mentioned that, a quick look at pricing. At the time of writing, the Truck version sells for about $75,000 in the entry-level Utility version, and $105,000 as a Performance, VAT included. The Pick-Up on the other hand starts at $62,000, plus VAT.
For the Truck version deliveries are expected to begin as soon as this year, and that's what will probably happen for the Pick-Up as well. There will be some waiting to do for some customers though, as Munro says the 200 orders mentioned earlier will take close to two years to complete.
What does that mean? Well, think of things like mining, quarrying, farming, and, to some extent, search and rescue. All of these are fields of human activity that require some very specialized equipment, built in a certain way and capable of doing certain things.
Munro believes it has the perfect solution for that. It's called MK_1, an electric machine that has been described as a true Land Rover Defender rival, both on account of what it can do, and also because, well, it kind of looks like one.
Made from the ground up by the Scots, the MK_1 came to light back in 2022 as something called Truck – a high-riding metal beast, wrapped in a paint job that can withstand pretty much everything thrown at it, and with a top range in its best configuration (there are three versions in all) of 275 km/190 miles.
This week, taking advantage of the Fully Charged Live North 2023 event taking place in Harrogate, England, Munro pulled the wraps off a new MK_1 variant called Pick-Up. The name is self-explanatory, really, as we're dealing with the same kind of beast, only with a chopped rear to make room for a bed.
I said earlier the Truck comes in three variants, and those are Utility, Range, and Performance. The Pick-Up shown this week is of the Performance variety, which would mean the top of the range in Munro speak.
For the rest of us, Performance translates into an electric drivetrain comprising an 82.4kWh battery feeding electricity to electric motors that spin all four wheels. At full throttle, if you'll allow that expression, the system develops 375 hp and 700 Nm of torque. Backed by those numbers, the Pick-Up can sprint from nil to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, and can keep going for as much as 190 miles.
I said this vehicle was born to serve the needs of those leading a hardcore kind of life. Translating that into numbers, we're talking about enough space in the bed out back to fit a 1,050 kg (2,315 pounds) euro pallet, and enough pull to tow up to 3,500 kg (7,700 pounds) of cargo behind it.
Although the arrival of the Munro MK_1 Pick-Up came a bit as a surprise to us, a lot of people, including some working for FTSE 100 companies, seem to have known about it. They must have, because today, despite the vehicle being shown for the first time, we're told there are already 200 orders placed for it, including from such high-profile companies.
And since I mentioned that, a quick look at pricing. At the time of writing, the Truck version sells for about $75,000 in the entry-level Utility version, and $105,000 as a Performance, VAT included. The Pick-Up on the other hand starts at $62,000, plus VAT.
For the Truck version deliveries are expected to begin as soon as this year, and that's what will probably happen for the Pick-Up as well. There will be some waiting to do for some customers though, as Munro says the 200 orders mentioned earlier will take close to two years to complete.
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